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FEAR NOT

Einstein's magic formula E=mc2 revolutionized science. It states that energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared. And since everything around us including ourselves is made up of energy, light and matter, then we can conclude with Einstein that the universe is not composed of discrete, physical objects separated by dead space (dark matter); rather it is one indivisible, dynamic whole in which spirit and matter are so deeply entangled that they can only be considered as one. So science has proved the old scriptural maxim, "All is One." And each of us can say (with Einstein), "All that there is I AM." Which in Sanskrit reads Tat Tvam Asi. Now there's a thought. And speaking of thoughts, the mind as we've previously discussed, as a non-localized energy, is not relevant to biology or other science but the territory of spirituality. Energy healers try to bridge the gap, recruiting the mind in service of the body. Even scientists dabble in energy medicine without even knowing it. Whoever has prescribed a placebo, or inert pill, to treat a treatable condition has tried to hoodwink a patient in believing in a cure that should not come because the patient isn't doing anything. Oh but he is. If you think you'll get better, so you will. In the hospital we used to tell patients who get better without medication or treatment that we'd filled their IV bags with the new drug OBECALP, which is placebo spelled backward. Just, you know, so the 3 in 10 people familiar with the word would not be clued in and disturbed. And it does disturb big pharma that in most of their clinical trials these placebos, or fake drugs, are as effective as the engineered chemical cocktail the drug companies push. Indeed medicine has been founded on placebos, from bloodletting to snake oil. Surgeons have noted since the invention of the scalpel that the mere fact of having surgery makes many patients feel better - even if no change is made to the ailing joint. Imagine! And as much as eighty percent of the effectiveness of anti-depressants could be due to placebo effect. Which is why some psychiatrists have gone so far as to propose that placebos be used as first-line therapy for mild to moderate depression. Placebos alter our beliefs, and our beliefs are the lens through which we view the world. Why not have your take on life be rose-colored? Instead we stress ourselves out with thoughts about issues we cannot resolve, thoughts which lead to anxieties, worries. Thoughts which translate to an influx of inflammatory stress chemicals such as cortisol, notorious for interfering with the body's ability to repair and regenerate. And to think clearly. So by stressing out, we promote a physical environment that causes us to stress out more. It has been shown that stressful events produce diminished consciousness and reduced intelligence. As one author notes, "Most of the stresses we are experiencing are not in the form of acute, concrete threats that we can easily identify, respond to, and move on. We are constantly besieged by multitudes of unresolvable worries about our personal lives, our jobs, and our wart-torn global community." These worries do not threaten our immediate survival, but by activating our stress hormones they war tear our selves! Our hyper-vigilant lifestyle is destroying our physical bodies, and every major illness is connected to chronic stress. Could Alzheimer's, which is characterized by a shrunken brain, be caused by too much worry? If so the cure is to worry less, which is to think less, an end result produced by the ancient rishis and in some circles today, wherever mindfulness is practiced. Remember, as former president Roosevelt said when our country was on the verge of a world war, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." For many diseases, that knowledge is all the cure you need. Stop the war that is being waged in your body by maintaining your peace of mind.

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